Many packaging applications use resealable containers to store or enclose various types of articles and materials. These packages maybe be used to store food products, non-food consumer goods, medical supplies, waste materials, and many other articles. Resealable packages are convenient in that they can be closed and resealed after the initial opening to preserve the enclosed contents.
Some types of resealable packages include bags made from polymer and include a plastic zipper having two interlocking profiles and a slider for opening and closing the zipper. Typically, the slider straddles the zipper and has a separating finger or plow at one end that is inserted between the profiles to force them apart as the slider is moved along the zipper in an opening direction. The other end of the slider is sufficiently narrow to force the profiles into engagement and close the zipper when the slider is moved along the zipper in a closing direction.
Manufacturing and production of resealable zippers with slider devices can be costly and time consuming. It is desirable provide an apparatus that overcomes the problems in the prior art, including an apparatus that automatically inserts sliders on zippers at a rate that keeps up with the production rate of the overall bag making machines. It is further desirable that such an apparatus is not costly, complex, or expensive to maintain.